CARPAL TUNNEL and MASSAGE THERAPY SCHOOL...?

Question

I THINK I MAY HAVE CARPAL TUNNEL, I HAVENT HAD A NERVE CONDUCTION STUDY OR ANYTHING BUT MY WRISTS HURT PERIODICALLY. FOR YEARS I HAVE WANTED TO GO TO MASSAGE THERAPY SCHOOL, BUT IM SCARED I WONT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH DUE TO THE WRIST PAIN... ANY SUGGESTIONS??

Answer 1

I and my wife had these problems.Sleep with your hands flat or buy you some wrist splints.we did no longer have problems. Mine use to hurt everyday

Answer 2

Carpal tunnel affects the thumb and first two fingers... your wrist may hurt but do those three fingers go numb? Do the symptoms wake you up at night with pain? If that sounds familiar you should go to your physician. My husband had both wrists hurt him in this past year so he has now had carpal tunnel surgery on both. The results have been great. It's possible to begin with your physician may recommend wearing a brace and or prescribe ibuprofen or something like that to take care of any swelling which may be causing scarring. If those things don't fix the problem then the doctor may send you on to an orthopedist for the nerve conduction test and afterward possible surgery. After observing what my husband went through I would say don't play around, you don't want to lose the feeling in your fingers or suffer permanent damage right? So I wish you well and hope that you either feel better or get the problem fixed successfully. (P.S. my husband operates a power plant which entails using a computer operating heavy equipment turning valves and so much more but all require serious use of his hands and grip strength. The carpal tunnel was affecting his grip strength, and he couldn't touch his thumb to the tip of his pinky, granted the surgery will affect the strength but now he can build that back up, he has full sensation in his finger tips again and he can touch his pinky and thumb again.)

Answer 3

like others have said, not all wrist pain is carpal tunnel, so you should get it checked out to see what is causing your pain.
you can get inexpensive wrist supports/braces to sleep in at night to take any irritation off the wrists & keep from flexing them (many people sleep w/ the hand/wrist curled in at night & dont realize it).
** I'm a chiropractor & occasionally get tendonitis in my wrists- not carpal tunnel. I push on 20-35 people a day, so I know what it's like to use my hands all day too... technique is what it's all about, and you will learn a basic technique in school--- then as the other therapist & the nurse mentioned, you can surely learn one of many other ways to massage w/o hurting your wrists...

I found that modifying a bit of what I do helps, I sleep in my night braces periodically & get acupuncture a few times a year to keep any inflammation down & I'm good to go.

Just get a check up w/ your doctor & good luck!

Answer 4

I'm an RN and I acknowledge you for wanting to follow through with your dream of becoming a massage therapist. First, I would suggest that you follow up with the medical evaluation of your wrists problem including a nerve conduction study. I have had it done myself and cannot overemphasize the importance of knowledge as power. If indeed the tests and medical assessment is conclusive of a diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel as a diagnosis for you there are a number of approaches that can be taken to relieve or diminish the symptoms including but not limited to surgery. You should do this for yourself at any rate. As an RN I was asked to teach several classes at a local Massage Therapy School including specific medical conditions such as Fibromyalgia as well as how to do Problem Oriented Charting. The referral was made by my Massage Therapist who knew I had taught Nursing for 25 years and her sister was in charge of the Massage Therapy School. It was alot of fun and the student feedback was excellent. Therefore I say go for your dreams but first do what you can to put yourself in the best position to ensure their reality. Good luck to you. I have faith in you that you can make your dream come true.

Answer 5

We had a physical therapist come into our work one day and give this trick to help carpal tunnel...
Take the thumb of the hand that is offending you (could be both) and pull it back towards your inside wrist, keeping your thumb straight. Pull back on your thumb towards your outer wrist too, this opens up the muscles or what have you that pinch on that nerve. I have done this for years and avoided surgery. Just don't pull on your thumb too hard!!!

Answer 6

you are asking the right person. I'm in massage therapy school right now. And you learn how to massage people without hurting your wrists. It's called body mechanics. All massaging uses your legs wayyyyy more than your arms. Just so you know, I love this class! Take it.